Tuesday, October 31, 2006

Here are a few of pics from (before) the halloween party we went to Saturday. Chana was a great (and fine-lookin') Poison Ivy. I was Henchman #17. (The previous 16 have been killed, thrown in prison or placed in long-term care at Arkham Asylum. I am hoping to have an extended run without having to face the Batman or any of his friends. I know that THIS time it's different for Ivy. She really cares about me...)

Micah offered Chana his snake Levi for the night, and it rounded out the costume perfectly. Most people at the shindig were happy to hang out with a live snake; something I wouldn't have been too keen on a few months ago.

A friend of ours was there dressed as Jesus, and I guess Levi recognized him, because when "Jesus" held Levi, he just contentedly wrapped around his arm and became very calm. Just goes to show ya, that Jesus really does hold dominion over all creatures, and they are naturally drawn to Him (or even a pretty good likeness).

[Now, don't comment to show me all of the obvious theological holes in my previous paragraph. But you can comment and tell me what your costume was this year!]

Tuesday, October 24, 2006

The mail came yesterday, and with it came a copy of my friend's new novel.

Adam Palmer just recently had his novel "Mooch" published and released. Back when I lived in Tulsa, we had many musical adventures together; many live ones, and some when I recorded his band's demos in my recording studio.

He's one of those guys that is funny, who is just naturally cool, and has potential running out of his ears. Refreshing thing is; he's one of the few guys like that who's actually doing something with those gifts.

I was allowed to read the book before it was printed, as I was asked to give an endorsement. Why me? Because I'm known the world over as an authority on good writing. No, that's not it. Actually, I have no idea why I was asked, but I'm glad that I was.

At first, as you can probably imagine, I was nervous to read it. I have become accustomed to Adam's writing talent and know what he is capable of, but what if my friend's book stunk? Not surprisingly however, my worry was short-lived, because the sideways humor paired with the inspiring story grabbed me from start to finish.

I became happier for Adam the further I read, knowing that his great talent was about to be released to the masses. Good for the masses.

Wednesday, October 18, 2006

Apparently, he photographed everyone noteworthy in his day, and during a six year period from '52 thru '58, he asked his subjects to jump at the end of their session and he would shoot it.

The pictures really inspire me in several ways. He probably had no trouble getting the Hollywood crowd into the act, but he also had people like Nixon, Churchill, and Einstein jumping for him.

People who were not thought of as the playful type were jumping for a photograph.

Deep down, I have to believe that no matter who the person was he had jumping, they HAD to feel like a kid again, even if just for half a second.

That thought makes me smile just as much as the pictures do. It makes me want to jump too ... there, that was fun. Unfortunately, no one got that one on film, but the cat sure looked at me funny.

There's something about the single act of jumping, or playing in a simple way like that, that I feel if I can do that, I can look at my "grown-up" work in a fresh way, no matter what I'm approaching. Sound, film, music.

Maybe it can change my approach when playing with my own kids? Who knows.

When is the last time you did something that made you feel (in a good way) like a kid again? Have you recently played with a toy, or skipped a stone, or watched a cartoon, or eaten Bugles off the tips of your fingers?

Friday, October 13, 2006

I just learned that Skysound has totally revamped their WEBSITE. Now you can take a virtual tour of the Technical Building (below), which is where most of the editing and mixing takes place. Unfortunately, I can't link you straight to the tour, so just go to the website link above, then click on "About Skywalker Sound", then select "Technical Bldg. Tour". You'll need quicktime player to view the tour. The rest of the site is cool too, so enjoy.

Tuesday, October 03, 2006

A few weeks back, our oldest son, Micah (13), went to a LUGE tryout. They are going around the country looking for the future athletes that will populate the sport. Funny. Why don't they just start with mental tests? I mean, you can hit 85+ mph on these things.

Luge guy with clipboard stands in front of group. "Okay everybody, raise your hand if you are nuts."

"One, two, three, umm... good." (Scribbles down a note on his clipboard)

"Okay, raise your hand if remaining in one piece is NOT important to you."

"One, two... right." (More notes onto clipboard)

"Okay, raise your hand if you are willing to fly down a mountainside Luge track that has a vertical drop of 30 stories at almost 90 mph laying flat on what feels like a 2 by 4 on a kitchen knife while grinning the whole way...

The course was on a hill, using a sled with roller-blade wheels, and the driver had to steer down the hill using only their shoulders, legs, and guts. Micah did well, and they seemed impressed by his quick abilities to learn how to control the sled. If he's selected among 50-60 other potentials across the country, he will have the chance to go to a Lake Placid training camp. There they assess further, etc.

The local newspaper did an ARTICLE about the tryout. Of course, they interviewed my wife 'cause she's pretty. Who knows? Maybe one day we'll have an Olympian in the family. I never would've guessed it would involve the LUGE though.